I like what I see so far except all the stuff on the mantle. Personally I think it might look better without all the stuff on it. Just the mirror. or maybe a couple items to one side or the other. Maybe a basket with some nice greenery below on the hearth.

Remove everything on the mantle. Replace the mirror with a large piece of colorful art. Perhaps then place a couple of vases or candlesticks on the mantle, but not too many.

I tend toward cleaner mantels. I can’t get it right whenever I try to add stuff. I’ll take it down. I look into artwork. Would you put a coffee table between the sofas?

Hi, Cathy, you’ve gotten good advice already .....

Can you show us other angles of the room? And tell us what this room is used for?

Re: coffee table — what styles do you like? Traditional, modern, mix, etc, etc?

The room is long and narrow. It opens to the kitchen and a (very messy) play room. It is a family room without a TV.

I like a mix of modern and traditional. I love nature elements. I like clean but cozy. Pops of color are fun, too.

I agree you have a great start. yes, a coffee table for sure... for me, some things to make an impact would be a coffee table, maybe one side table and table lamp, sheers for windows, some fun pillows, art and a tall green plant for the corner by one of the windows. heres an ottoman for a coffee table and some pillows, just a couple additions can make a difference...

houzz comments · More Info

houzz comments · More Info

houzz comments · More Info

How much space do you have between the loveseats? It looks super tight for a coffee table. :-( I'd definitely add curtains, like Jinx suggested, and keep maybe 3 favorite pieces on the mantel.

It opens to the kitchen and a (very messy) play room.

I once apologized to my midwife for having such a disastrous playroom (it was my first postpartum visit, a few days after Baby's birth), and she said, "Oh, don't even! I worry about people that have perfect playrooms." I'm sure it's not nearly as bad as you think! :-D

Kid art can make for great decor. Even young kids (maybe especially young kids) can make really awesome abstract art. If they haven't already made something the right size for your room, you could get a canvas (or paper or posterboard) the right size, pick some colors you like in an easy clean-up paint, give them large-size brushes, and let them have at it. Just make sure that the size of the artwork is right for one of the frame sizes you can buy off-the-shelf (Michael's routinely has frame sales that make these quite reasonable)

Thank you all for the suggestions. I’ll work on plant, curtains and art/mirror first. I love the idea of kids art! There’s about. 5 feet between the sofas. I can probably move them apart a little more if a coffee table is a must. I do like the idea of smaller round tables like in Jinx’s last photo.

On color: My house isn’t super colorful because I’m unsure about colors flowing from one room to the next. Any rules about this? If I have bright pops of color in the family room, do I need to repeat those same colors throughout the first floor?

Regarding the mirror: is the black too hard looking in this space? Here’s a gold mirror I have that I can switch out. Is it too small? I’m not sure I like the color in here. Although maybe I need the other elements to tie it all together.

I was looking at your ideabooks and you seem to love color. in looking at the areas around the living room, it all looks very neutral, so it seems like there are many options for a pop. is there a color in a specific room in your idea book that you love? blue, to me, is a color that.is a safe pop, meaning it can work with a bunch of different styles, almost a neutral in many ways but not brown or beige. i dont think the pop of color needs to match throughout the first floor, especially if you have separated rooms like bedrooms, bathrooms. I can only see the kitchen from this room. if there are other rooms open to this room, the colors should compliment but dont need to match. I also like the idea of art above the fireplace, not a mirror, to bring color to the room. art does not need to per se coordinate across rooms, it can be individual to each room, IMO.

I started the idea books a while back. It’s helpful to revisit them. I’m going to look into art, adding some more color and a plant. And a table of some sort perhaps. Thank you for the assistance! I’ll add a finished photo.